Annaghmore

Saturday

KENMARE apprentice Oisin Quill was the star of the show at Annaghmore, Co Armagh last Saturday as he drove a double.

The young farrier steered a trotter (Hippie Sisu) and a pacer (Meadowbranch Dynasty) to the winners’ enclosure.

Sean Kane led everywhere but the line in the opening grade F trot, he was on Chippie des Landes.

However, Quill came with a well-timed run on Hippie Sisu to take the spoils. The winner is trained by Tadhg Murphy and owned by my host at The Village Inn, Enniskeane – Angelo Hannon.

Oisin’s double came in the closer where he and Meadowbranch Dynasty made light of a back line draw and beat recent import Check On Dancer in a decent 2’00.7.

The winner was a shrewd purchase recently by Anthony O’Donnell.

The Irish Harness Racing Association took a gamble in putting racing on over both Saturday and Sunday. Not for the first time, the organisation confounded the sceptics and filled a six-race card on Saturday followed by an eight-race programme on the Sunday.

Bolstered

Saturday’s card was bolstered by legs of the All-Ireland pace and trot.

Both fixtures drew plenty of horses but small enough crowds. Racing attracts better attendances on those balmy summer afternoons.

Churchview Frankel is many people’s idea of the best pacer in Ireland, and he came with an effortless swoop to round the field in the All-Ireland Pace leg. Cavan-based driver Bernard Nicholson was in the bike for wife Gail.

The All-Ireland trot leg went to many people’s idea of the best trotter in Ireland, Harry Knows. Driver Patrick Kane jnr must have been uncommonly confident because he let Harry Knows lie up on the outside of early leader Bibi Dairpet (Eoin Murphy) for the best part of a lap. The tactics would suggest that Harry Knows does not like being checked when he is striding out well.

Similarly, Patrick let the rangy big pacer Romanz go on about his business in the grade G pace as three fairly nondescript rivals fought out the minor placings. The winner opened 1/3 - a measure of his superiority. The win was a double for the 2021 leading driver.

Sean Kane was mugged on the line with Chippie des Landes and he probably thought the same had happened when he drove Dragee du Lys in the C to E trot.

Tiernan ‘Tearaway’ Loughran came with a late run on Coraile de Belande to force a photo with Sean adjudged the winner by a nose.

Not so hair-raising win for Mary!

Portmarnock Sunday

PORTMARNOCK Raceway has been blessed with fair weather all season.

On Sunday, the heavens opened and conditions were testing. In harness racing the leading position (known as ‘on top’) is definitely a good place to be on a dirty day.

Horses don’t like kickback, and drivers struggle to see even with the use of all kinds of goggles and shields.

Mary Kane Gilligan got one of the nicest cheers this season. Regulars are aware that she has gone close several times in recent weeks, indeed she was only beaten a neck by her own brother on October 2nd.

Mary won the first clockwise race of the season with her own Hot To Trot, a mare who when Mary bought her would have been more aptly called ‘too hot to stay trotting’. On the day, Mary led out and made all. The winner was one of the outsiders at around 5/1.

The winning driver told The Irish Field: “Half of me didn’t want to go out at all as I didn’t want to ruin my hair!”. The line goes straight to the top of the betting for most unusual post-race comment of 2022.

Elsewhere on the card, Wayne McNevin recorded a double with the gutsy little mare Newtown Alana and IB Notorious.

Wayne was at pains to tell The Irish Field: “John Roche told everybody this horse was no good!”, referring to IB Notorious. To be fair, John smiled sportingly at Wayne’s good-natured taunting.

Pan Can Income was an unlucky second with Derek Jennings in Alana’s race and really made the winner work for it.

Jonny Cowden looked on paper to have a steering job on Brooklyn Trixie (1/2 fav) in a three-runner apprentice race. The term took on a new meaning when Troy McAleer got tipped out of the cart following a bit of contact and John Roche jnr pulled up. Urbano des Selles and Beach de Bellouet were the two to earn a ‘did not finish’ and fortunately all drivers and horses were reported sound later.

Some regular spectators remarked that they had seen stewards’ enquiries called for less.

In the end, the prize money goes to Jonathan Nixon, Ballycoan, Co Down.

Simple task

Sean Kane had almost as simple a task as Jonny had when he steered Just In Time to a bloodless victory in the three-year-old trot. Stable companion Just Like Mam hated the conditions and galloped repeatedly with Patrick Kane jnr.

Patrick had better luck when the improving Deuce Queen saw off four rivals in the G and G1 pace. Ballycoan Aron (Jonny Cowden) was an eyecatcher in this race. He got trapped on the outside early but plugged on gamely in the horrible conditions and looks like there’s a race in him soon. The race went 2’07.9 and the track was probably four seconds off.

Hallow Way Road (7/2) has ability but has let the Leap side down on occasions. Maybe the sloppy going sobered up the big, good-looking liver chesnut. He won by three lengths for usual driver Patrick Hill.

“He can be a colourful character at the start but when his mind is right he can trot,” said Patrick.

Sean Kane brought up a double on High Speed Efbe (4/1) a recent acquisition out of the Loughran barn in Omeath.

The action returns to the north tomorrow. Annaghmore Raceway once again is the venue. Results and cards can be seen at www.irishharnessracing.com The track is beyond Richhill and Kilmore if you are coming from Dublin.

Special visitor

DUBLINER Gabriel Ennis and his son Colm were in attendance on Sunday. Gabriel is in his eighties. His father Tom made special wooden sulkies, known as ‘cane sulkies’ for the old Raheny track which closed in the 1950s.

Murdock wins but loses

GAVIN Murdock won the £7,000 Sales Graduate Pace with Ayr Balmoral on Saturday, Oct 8th at York. However, the local stewards demoted the first past the post as in their opinion he did not keep a straight line. Sources state the decision will be appealed.

York top-priced

OAKWOOD Stud of Offaly sold the top-priced colt at the sales which preceded racing at York. Oakwood Mick was sold to Ruairi McNulty for £50,000.